When the tables turn
by secretauthor12
Summary: Who would have thought that it only takes one look, one touch and one kiss – coming from a lonesome stranger, to break the calm and ever composed Student Council President, Shizuru Fujino. Is it really the case or will the tables turn?
1. Chapter 1

Who would have thought that it only takes one look, one touch and one kiss – coming from a lonesome stranger, to break the calm and ever composed Student Council President, Shizuru Fujino. Is it really the case or will the tables turn?

-x-

A chestnut haired girl was idly looking out in the glass window of their air-conditioned classroom, intentionally ignoring the oh-so-boring discussion about who-knows-what, as her mind was sent reeling recalling the incident in the Student Council Room early that morning. So many questions started crowding her already jumbled mind. Yet, the more she tried to gauge the incident, add in some assumptions and make a reasonable conclusion, the more she could not comprehend. In the end, her mind was screaming one thing - it just didn't make sense. _Just who is this girl and what is she doing to me? Turning me to a complete idiot. Sigh…_

The poor girl was so engrossed with her own little world unaware of the fact that everyone was staring at her, some even gawking at her adorable spaced-out expression. Reality only whipped her when her animated seatmate by the name Chie, the classroom clown, loudly called her name.

"Calling the poor soul of Shizuru Fujino, who is surely in the other realm of the world, please come back to us." Her seatmate stood up and animatedly acted as if she was pulling invisible soul from the thin air and pushing them back to the chestnut haired girl and performed some kind of a ritual involving weird swaying movements of her arms. The classroom roared in enthusiastic laughter seeing the stupidly animated act of their classroom clown followed by the shocked, then embarrassed expression of the chestnut-haired girl.

It was such a rare opportunity getting different displays of emotions from the ever composed and self-collected Shizuru Fujino whose facial features were always plastered with dazzling smile and her unmistakably striking crimson orbs, a façade of perfection she always wore to mask her real emotions from slipping by. She was the _Student Council President_ , after all. I am the _Kaichou_ , get a hold of yourself, she mentally reminded herself.

However, the one incident that bugged her to no end seemed to have taken its toll on her – she could not keep up her beautiful disguise any longer especially as her thoughts unconsciously kept drifting towards the arrogant blue haired girl. _Bad girl, bad girl_ , she thought. Shizuru shook her head slightly as if that would have helped erasing her memory of a certain person and tried to focus on the class.

"So, Chie has done us a great deal by bringing back our lovely Kaichou to our world." Again, the class erupted with laughter which quickly died down when their red-haired professor called Midori continued talking.

"As I was saying, you are all required to compose a song due next week. Any music genre works for me but the theme should center about love. The more creative the compositions are, you can bet a higher grade from me. You can rap all you want, or go pop-rock, go classic, go epic – I don't really care. Just make sure to use the proper theme. All about love – puppy love, first love, filial love, crazy love – ah, too many to mention, you sure know what I mean. And Ms. President here will collect them for me next week. Please give them to me before we start our classes okay?" The redhead directed her attention to the brunette woman, sitting at the back of the class, in the right corner near the classroom window. Upon hearing her name, the brunette nodded her head in acknowledgment.

The class continued on their boring lesson until the bell rang, finally signaling the end of their last class for the day and everyone started scrambling towards the exit door of the class, some ready to go straight to their homes, others ready for some shopping and others simply just wanted to get out of classroom and clear their poor, aching head from all class activities and discussions.

Shizuru, however, took her time as she freely allowed her subconscious mind to yet recall the incident.

Early that morning, in the middle of their English class discussion, her professor called her attention that someone was waiting for her outside the classroom. After excusing herself, she headed towards the exit door, only to be surprised seeing the all-too familiar scrawny, short-haired girl and her blonde companion, waiting for her. She then approached the intruders with a sweet smile though she knew better that their presence meant business. _Who I am kidding, their mere presence always means trouble._

"Ara! To what do I owe the pleasure of your lovely visits?" She directed her attention to the short-haired girl, Yukino, who pushed her eyeglasses she wore towards the bridge of her nose more of a habit than a necessity, while the grumpy looking blonde girl was keeping her back on her as she tapped her right foot rather annoyingly. The blonde girl, Haruka, seemed to always have a never-ending grudge towards the Kaichou for who-knows-what-reason and the brunette learned that ignorance was bliss.

"Kaichou, I am sorry for the trouble but you are needed in the Student Council Room immediately." Under the intense eyes of the Kaichou, Yukino fidgeted keeping her hands on her back.

"Do you happen to know why?" Shizuru inquired curiously, eyeing Student Council Secretary.

"Your troublemaker friend again, who else!" Haruka faced her angrily with her arms on her hips.

"You know what, if it were up to me, we should long time ago kick her out of this school! She is a good-for-nothing, scalawang, freshman, who will one day destroy our school's reputation. I don't understand why that little rogue is always up to something. Seeing her face is just so infuriating." Haruka continued her monologue of arguments, shaking her head vehemently.

"It's scalawag, not scalawang, Haruka," Yukino silently corrected her hotheaded friend.

Clearly, her antagonistic attitude towards the said mischief-maker comes from the fact that there were few times that Haruka ended up chasing the rascal around the campus, only to make a fool of herself, as the rascal always escaped her wittingly. That, coupled by the fact, that this rascal was a good friend of her greatest rival, Shizuru, only added insult to the injury.

No matter how many times, Shizuru was always left amused seeing the blonde girl on fire, literally on an invisible fire enveloping her, it was like Haruka was an erupting volcano, a ticking time bomb, ready to explode when the right buttons were pressed at the right moment. To divert the foul mood in the air, Yukino mentioned that vice-president was waiting for Shizuru in the Student Council Room.

Shizuru thanked the ladies then proceeded on the hallway and turned left towards a wooden door with the bold sign SC attached on it. She knocked to let her presence known from the inside, turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. She saw her handsome black-haired friend Reito sitting comfortably on a swivel chair, who nodded his head at her as well as her long acquainted troublemaker friend, Nao, sitting casually on the couch, waving at her in greeting. Such a scene was a déjà vu always adding up to Nao's notorious reputation as the school's most delinquent person.

However, she felt differently when the hairs in her back rose giving her goose bumps, as if someone was intensely staring at her, almost creating a hole at the back of her head. Instinctively, when she turned around, her crimson eyes slowly settled to a pair of amusing yet intense emerald eyes gazing at her, the owner of which was leaning beside the door, concealing her presence initially. It took a moment before Shizuru realized that she was rather staring stupidly when she saw the smirk, now unmistakably visible on the other person's face. Embarrassed, she proceeded to closing the door and curiously, threw a quick glance at the stranger, only to be more humiliated when the said woman was still staring intensely at her, with her smug smirk even getting more pronounced. _Just who is this girl?_

"Yow Shiz, my dear, sorry to snatch you away from class." Her redhead troublemaker friend, who was busy admiring her delicate fingernails, spoke in a carefree manner as Shizuru settled herself on an empty swivel chair beside Nao. Clearly, the redhead was not one bit sorry at all. In fact, her eyes showed pure mischief that Shizuru could only sigh. _Really Nao, really?_

Shizuru then looked at the Vice-President to give her the full report. Reito took this as a signal to further explain the situation.

"Well, you and I both know that Ms. Yuuki Nao here~"

"Just NAO!" She cut him quite dangerously, clearly annoyed at being addressed by anything other than _Nao._

"Alright. So _Just_ Nao was again caught cutting classes~"

"Funny – your sense of humor almost gave me a heart attack for being super dumb. And correction – I purposely let the Student's Council's dog to see me. Where's the fun in that if no one catches me right?" The redhead corrected him quite contentedly, as she remembered a certain blonde girl ready for a kill. Shizuru could only shake her head especially if Haruka would hear that comment being a Student's Council's dog. Shizuru imagined the blonde girl being a dog, maybe a Doberman chasing her crazy redhead friend in the campus and she could only chuckle softly to herself. She suddenly became self-conscious when in the corner of her eye, she could see the lonesome figure looking at her quite amusedly, clearing holding back laughter from escaping her lips. _Huh! What is wrong with her?_

"Fine. So anyway, long story short, she cut her class and she brought this stranger to our school campus." Both Reito and Shizuru then turned their attention to the lonesome figure standing beside the door. Being the center of attention, she just shrugged, not caring one bit that she was an outsider. Shizuru allowed herself to stare at the said lonesome. Her long silky hair as dark as the midnight ocean, those intense emerald green gems as bright as the green forest and that body despite being in dark leather suit still reflected her toned body. For a split second, her memory felt as if this person was familiar or that she reminded her of someone. But they were quickly erased when the redhead spoke.

"Bull's eye!" Nao cheered.

"Oh and as an introduction, this is Natsuki Kuga." Nao went on explaining.

"Oi Kuga, that guy there is Mr. Playboy." Pointing her finger at the black haired guy.

"And this one over here is Ms. Playgirl." Pointing her finger at the chestnut haired girl.

"Who do you like better?" Nao eyed her friend as she cackled like some wicked witch.

It took both Reito and Shizuru a matter of seconds before they could process what the redhead mentioned about them. Reito seemed to recover his senses faster than the brunette woman, simply saying that he'd rather take it a compliment that most of the girls are just so into him, without him doing anything at all. Shizuru, on the other hand, glared at her friend menacingly. Nao, who was so used to it, just laughed loudly.

"Ara, coming from my master who taught me the rules of being a playgirl, I am actually a nobody when compared to you." Shizuru retorted, clearly happy with a comeback to her old friend, who only laughed boisterously.

"Glad you are such a quick learner, my dear friend. One look is enough to know you've got the potential to be the most flirtatious Kaichou this school ever had." Nao retorted.

"That is why I have you wrapped around my little finger." Shizuru winked clearly winning the battle, to which the redhead could only gawk at her openmouthed.

The brunette felt like she regained her old self, outsmarting the redhead while maintaining her composure. However, only within a matter of seconds, her self-collected personality shattered in pieces when the lonesome stranger suddenly spoke.

"If you are to ask me, honestly, I think Ms. Playgirl here is more appealing and intriguing at the same time." Her emerald eyes twinkled with mischief as she regarded the brunette, who was unsuccessfully controlling her flaring emotions from showing on her already flustered face. The brunette was definitely shocked to hear the strangely sweet yet husky voice from the lonesome figure. Her efforts were futile as her cheeks were tinted with faint red hoping that the accumulating heat in the room was the culprit, rather than anything else, _or anyone else_. _Of course she could talk, Shiz, she could talk!_

As her raging emotions were in still in progress of being under her control, the lonesome figure as if taking her opportunity, walked towards her. She stopped in front of the sitting brunette towering above her like an iceberg.

"Hello Ms. Playgirl, a pleasure to _finally_ meet you." She extended her hand in front of the dumbfounded Kaichou who unconsciously also extended her hand in greeting. Upon contact, the brunette felt the strong and powerful hand enveloping her own soft, delicate hand.

In a flash, Shizuru swore she thought she saw Natsuki smirk and before Shizuru could process what was happening, her extended hand clasping the lonesome's was being pulled forward, forcing her to stand up and stumbled towards the grinning lonesome.

Being in close range, Shizuru could even see the girl's features even more distinctively. Before she could scrutinize the intruder any further, the lonesome raised their holding hands together and to the brunette's shock, the blue haired girl kissed the brunette's hand. Confusion was one thing that was written on Shizuru's face to which Natsuki almost wanted to laugh.

"A lovely greeting to a lovely lady." Natsuki explained to her. Then added rather softly, "I will see you again, Kaichou." She then winked at her before she turned her attention at the redhead and waved. Suddenly, the redhead stood up and they both headed towards the door and was gone the next second.

Dumfounded, Shizuru could still feel the warm sensation at the back of her hand where the blue haired girl had just kissed. Shizuru almost wanted to slap her face to get a grip of herself. Not only did she let the lonesome figure get ahead of her, she also forgot to interrogate the real reason for the intrusion on the campus. She winced at the idea of being such a speechless wimp in front of the blue haired girl, called Natsuki, as if she could not recollect her thoughts properly in the presence of the owner of those emerald eyes. Some other small things that bothered her was the fact that she had to make a write-up about that incident to the Principal. She was supposed to give some punishments but she felt like she ended up being punished herself. Shizuru felt her world spinning at the absurdity of what had just happened. It just never occurred before – losing her composure quite badly.

Her senses were brought back to reality as she heard Reito laughing wholeheartedly and she jerked her head to glare at him.

"What is rather amusing, if I may ask?" She tried to sound impassive, but clearly her voice carried some annoyance.

"You, Shiz. For the first time, you amuse me." Reito answered while trying hard to control his laughter.

"Really, in what way do I look amusing?" She challenged him as she raised her right eyebrow inquisitively.

"Oh come on, there's just the two of us here. I'm your best friend after all. I know you."

"I don't understand what you are talking about." Shizuru stood up, clearly annoyed at Reito beating around the bush, and started walking towards the door.

"Tell me Shiz, I thought you dropped your mouth on the way here, or maybe someone had stolen your golden voice earlier, eh? You seemed to lose both earlier, don't you think so? Now, I'm thinking, is it just me or this girl is really something? The way I described what happened – wow – she had just eaten you alive. Looks like this girl had just whipped you. I'm not surprised to see the front page of the news tomorrow – Lovely Kaichou just got… what's the word... ah, stupefied! Headline of the day – The mighty Shizuru Fujino just got stupefied. Boom!"

"Shut up Rei. I just didn't get enough sleep yesterday. That's all." The brunette answered lamely, trying to cover up her rather absurd behavior towards the blue haired girl.

"If I sell this story to your classroom clown, I'll be an instant millionaire! Your fan girls will surely go for a kill just to know who stupefy their lovely queen." Reito continued his antics to which the brunette was surely getting more pissed off.

"Right. Who knows, I might also go for a kill, like right now." Shizuru emphasized the last word to which her best friend turned a little pale. After heaving a dreadful sigh, she left the room to avoid any further unhelpful comments from being thrown at her.

Now, sitting all alone in the classroom made Shizuru wonder why she had acted the way she did towards the lonesome, early that morning. She was the master of her emotions. She was always good at hiding them from plain view. She was the mighty Kaichou, the face of perfection that never faltered. But then, how would she explain in simple words what had happened to her early this morning? Her thoughts were again shattered upon hearing an intruding voice coming from the half-open classroom door.

"Hello stranger, thinking about me? Missing me already?" Upon hearing that husky voice, she perked her head up and turned her attention towards the door. Initially, she thought she was just hallucinating, but the girl with her bright emerald eyes and her ever smirking face was leaning on the door casually with her arms crossed – she was all for real.

 _You_ , the only word Shizuru could only muster under her breath. _Oh kill me now, how could I end up being always so tongue-tied in front of her._

Smirking at the speechlessness of the brunette, "I have a name you know. And by the way, I am here to snatch you away."

 _What? Snatch. Me. Away? Are you so kidding me?_

-x-


	2. Tough Contenders

Thank you for the reviews and story follows/favorites – they are greatly appreciated.

Chapter 2: Tough Contenders

One week ago, the head principals of various universities, both famous and unknown, received a letter of invitation from the town's chairman, Yuuchi Tate, requesting their urgent presence at the town's main conference hall two days from now, the details of which were not disclosed. Different speculations, suspicions and emotions arose from the headmasters but everyone knew that the upcoming town hall festival's main event would be the center of discussion.

Finally, the town hall assembly happened in which 12 university heads participated. Among the popular were Mashiro Kazahana of Rojoh University, Yukariko Sanada of Zaffiro University, Maria Graceburt of Shenden University, Nagi Homura of Pronte University and John Smith of Ashika University – all of whom were the principals of the top five elite universities in town.

The presence of the headmasters of the elite universities exuded diverse reactions and some intense emotions from the other headmasters present in the hall. Some showed respect and admiration, others showed disgust and jealousy while others – well, they just simply didn't care.

Nonetheless, while there were also noticeable conflicts among the heads of the rival universities, there were also some friendship rivalries among others.

While waiting for the chairman's arrival, the heads exchanged their usual greetings though most of time, their entire conversations centered on everyone's opinion about the theme of the main event of the festival. Every year, the theme was meticulously discussed and greatly debated among different towns' chairmen. Once a quorum had been obtained among the chairmen who attended, each town's chairman would then discuss in greater detail the selected festival's theme for that year to the participating universities in their town.

After few minutes of waiting, everyone stopped their small talks when the heavy conference door opened and the tall, handsome chairman in his tuxedo suit entered the hall. Everyone went back to their designated seats while the chairman headed in front towards the small platform intentionally built for that occasion.

"Hello everyone, a big thank you for taking your precious time to attend this occasion. I know that everyone here is busy preparing and looking forward to the upcoming annual town hall festival and so I will cut to the chase. This year, the theme of the festival will be _Tough Contenders._ " The blonde chairman was not finished announcing when some of the headmasters excitedly murmured to each other exchanging their own guesses and ideas about the said theme. Others obviously showed confusion while others showed excitement. Nonetheless, majority of them had questions as to the reasons behind such theme. As if reading the aura surrounding the principals, the chairman continued.

"I know that the big question in your head right now is why, is that correct? To answer the big why, it was agreed in the board's meeting that they wanted to promote friendly competitions among varying universities. Through this, they believe that each school's competitiveness will drive other school's competitiveness, thus creating a win-win situation for everyone. In addition, the winning schools would also have an opportunity to promote their universities and their students' excellence." The chairman expressed enthusiastically. Again, the headmasters started talking with each other again wondering if such friendly competition was any good idea at all.

While the headmasters were busy with their own little world about the pros and cons of the main theme, the chairman pulled out a small black cloth bag tied in a lace from his back pocket and put the contents of the bag in a tall wooden table located near the front platform. Everyone then subtly stopped their small discussions as each one curiously watched the busy chairman in front. Satisfied that he got everyone's attention again, he had looked up to them with a big smile on his face.

"Now, this silence is much better." He paused as he put the remaining contents on the table. "If you will allow me to further explain, each participating school will send a representative who will be joining the _Tough Contenders._ " He stopped shortly to allow the heads to digest the information before proceeding. Clearly, some of them were not enthusiastic especially when they thought of competing against the five elites' students – as if they were up against the wall.

"Any questions?" The chairman asked as he eyed them individually. He then settled to a lone hand raised in the air and he nodded to acknowledge his question.

"How are we to choose a representative for our school? Is there any specific criteria that we should consider? Should they be physically fit? Smart?" John Smith expressed his concern to which other heads also agreed unanimously.

"Ah…Let's just say, the best of the bests in each school should be picked – in the end, the schools' reputations are at stake. I would say an all-rounder student would definitely have a greater chance of winning, do you all agree?" He threw the question back at them as he considered each one again. Then, another hand raised up again. _Yes_ , he nodded to him.

"If you put it that way, an all-rounder student, don't you think that was a very vague notion to help us with the selection process?" Nagi Homura voiced out his opinion.

"Hm… How about I give you an example. For instance, who do you think among the students would be the most popular?" He questioned them again. Silence emanated from the hall as they all thought of the chairman's question. He continued nonetheless.

"For discussion's sake, let's assume that it would be your very own Student Council Presidents. Why do you think are they popular? Maybe some are physically fit, smart, beautiful, handsome, awesome, an idol – you go name it. Or maybe, they all have these characteristics – maybe they are what other students think as all-rounders. But, this is just a scenario to help. Of course, other students are very much welcome to join." He grinned at them, showing his perfect white teeth.

"In simple say, this will be a battle among Kaichou." Maria Graceburt offered.

Clearly, while the chairman just gave that as an example, his logic was very much reasonable and undebatable that everyone unanimously agreed that the Student Council Presidents would be the best choice to compete with other schools. _Of course, the Kaichou will be our best bet,_ they all thought.

"Ah sweet – now we will know whose university has the best kaichou in town." A wicked smile was plastered as Nagi spoke.

"Can't get any better." Mashiro silently agreed.

"So, can you further explain what they will be competing for?" It was Yukariko Sanada's turn to question the chairman who seemed more entertained seeing a bunch of competitive participating schools. _This will be so much fun, than last year,_ he thought to himself.

"Of course Yukariko sensei. That's where I am going – to that juicy part of the theme. So, these lucky representatives whom you have chosen, you will give me their names before this session ends and I will submit them to the board. These students _must_ compete in a _very friendly manner_ among each other. As long as it does not cause any physical harm or injury on the other students, no life threatening situations, all forms of offense and defense are allowed." He regarded everyone ensuring they were keeping track with him. Satisfied that everyone was on the same page, he continued.

"There will be four elimination rounds and the top two university contenders who completed all the challenges will then be the town's representatives competing against other towns' winners." He stopped when he saw another hand raised up.

"How will the elimination rounds work?" A headmaster of Pineiro University, by the name Gal spoke.

"I am seeing an excited bunch of headmasters here, eh? I'm getting there. For the first elimination round, this will last for two weeks. I have twelve gemstones placed here on the table that I will be distributing shortly to each. Each one of you will get a chance to draw lots to know your school's lucky gem. There are points assigned to these twelve gemstones. For instance, the ruby stone is worth four points, while garnet stone is worth only one point. No need to memorize as the point system will be included in the list that I will distribute later." He paused to catch his breath before going further.

"The competing students are tasked to protect their own gemstone but acquire in any way possible without inflicting physical harm from other students their precious gemstones in order for them to gain more points. For instance, if you manage to keep your gem safe which is worth three points and you manage to steal one stone worth four points, you have a total of seven points. Only the top six students with the most number of points will proceed to the next elimination round. In short, half of the students will be eliminated."

"So, for this first round, school intrusion will be allowed during these two week-period. The representatives can surely ask their schoolmates' assistance to plan and strategize. Making allies with other participating schools is not banned but is not encouraged either. In the end, we are promoting a healthy competition among each other. Any questions?" Seeing that the headmasters were busy absorbing all the information, he put the gemstones back to the cloth bag and proceeded to call out the headmasters' names for the draw lots.

"As I call on your name, come forward and lucky pick from this small box to know what gem you are lucky to have. Keep your gems confidential so other schools will not automatically target your school if they know you got gems worth four points. Also, please be ready with the name of your school's representative."

He called them one by one as he handed to each headmasters in secrecy the gemstones they handpicked from the small box while the headmasters on the other hand, slipped a folded piece of paper with the student's name in another vacant box, much bigger than the first. In addition, he also handed them the point scoring for the gemstones.

As provided in the point scoring system, the Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald gemstones were worth four points while the Amethyst, Turquoise and Pearl gems were worth three points. On the other hand, the gemstones Peridot, Opal and Diamond were worth two points while the gemstones Garnet, Topaz and Aquamarine were worth one point.

After everyone was called, the chairman then collected the folded piece of paper and stuffed them in the black cloth bag that used to have the gems. He then reminded everyone that the first elimination round will happen in a week's time. After ensuring that there were no other questions, concerns, clarifications and suggestions, he dismissed the session and quickly left.

Once inside his black luxurious car, the chairman brought out the black cloth bag and pulled the pieces of paper on the bag. He curiously unfolded each one and read the students' names nonchalantly until his eyes fell on the last piece of paper – Shizuru Fujino, Kaichou of Rojoh University _. Interesting, really amusing,_ he thought silently.

-x-

Natsuki's husky voice was floating in the brunette's head as she tried to make sense if she heard her correctly or aside from dropping her mouth that morning, her ears were also falling apart now. Finally, after what felt like a thousand years, the brunette seemed to have regained her five senses.

"Excuse me?" She heard herself spoke though she felt those words hollow in her mouth.

"Surely, you heard me loud and clear. The _attractive_ Kaichou I spoke to this morning doesn't look like deaf, does she?" Grinning, she walked towards the flustered Shizuru, who on the other hand, felt so humiliatingly worse about herself. While she seemed to have regained her five senses, she clearly did not regain back her sixth sense – her common sense, as she could not understand what was happening again and again. _Go figure!_

The confident looking Natsuki then seated herself right across the brunette's and faced her squarely with that giant mocking smirk stuck on her pretty face. She then lifted up the brunette's chin with her right index finger to focus on her.

"I said, I will snatch you, like right now. What do you say?" The blue haired girl slowly but confidently repeated her words, to which Shizuru diverted her anxious crimson eyes away from that pretty sneaky girl, knowing that her own face would soon be getting a tomato red shade. _Ah, this girl is too much._

After what felt like a thousand years of forcing her poor brain to somehow function and exhausting her remaining strength to recover her fatally wounded pride, Shizuru finally looked at the intruder.

"Snatch me away? You must be forgetting who I am." Shizuru mentally shoulder clapped and congratulated herself for successfully using or rather abusing her brain cells to function again. _Awkwardness disease, soon to be killed!_

"Ohh. How could I simply forget such a rare beauty? Only a fool would do that." Natsuki spoke while clearly amused to get a verbal reaction from the brunette, not just a flustered face.

"Well, glad to hear I am not in a company of _fools_." Shizuru bantered back clearly catching the intruder off-guard with that last word.

"Ah, sorry to disappoint you _my sweet dear_ , if I am not. But I can be fool…. if it's only for you." She winked and grinned at her knowing the she had turned the tables in her favor, especially after seeing the flustered face from the brunette again.

However, their little flirty conversation was abruptly interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.

"Whoa, what do you we have here?"

Both Natsuki and Shizuru looked at the owner of the unfamiliar voice but neither registered in their minds to name the new intruder.

"Ah – now, we have an audience or a clapper if we are lucky." She directed her words to Shizuru who then stifled a laughter from escaping her lips.

"Hey stranger, if you are here to watch my sweet talks and sweet moves, just go home. They're not for public viewing." The blue haired spoke quite rudely and unabashedly.

"You fool! Scumbags like you should never address me like that." The new intruder was clearly pissed off at Natsuki's harsh comment.

"And for trash like you, I should properly beat the _crap_ out of you. I just answered your stupid question." Natsuki responded casually.

"I just want to pay a visit to the beautiful Kaichou of this school before the official round starts. However, I'm surprised to see scumbags roaming around." The new intruder sneered to which Natsuki had simply ignored. Then, her searching amethyst eyes settled to the other person in the classroom.

"Kaichou Shizuru Fujino, I am Tomoe Marguerite, the Kaichou of Shenden University and I am here to offer you my powerful alliance for the coming elimination round. I believe that with your potential combined with my excellence, we will be unbeatable. We can surely win without doubt. What do you say?" She smiled so brightly towards the brunette as she moved towards her and stopped in front of her.

Upon hearing the word _elimination round,_ only then did it hit Shizuru hard with reality check. Only then did it make sense to her the familiarity she felt towards the blue haired girl. While she hadn't met her personally, the blue haired girl's infamous reputation always precedes her. She had heard lots of things, both good and bad, about this cobalt haired girl and she was always left amused and curious about this girl. After all, this girl, Natsuki Kuga, was also a Kaichou. And that meant one thing – she would participate in the Tough Contenders, along with the other intruder, Tomoe. _Now, it makes sense why I am having unexpected visitors,_ she thought to herself.

Shizuru was still busy processing the turn of the events, how she could have not figured out earlier the identity of the blue haired girl, how she was blaming that on her jumbled mind and how the confident aura of Natsuki also contributed to numbing her brain to properly think. By not having any response from the brunette, Tomoe's eyebrows twitched impatiently as she tried in vain not to shake the brunette from her thoughts. Natsuki seemed to have noticed that the brunette was in her own little world and she wanted to laugh hard but thought it better to shut it more for the brunette's sake than for intruder's.

"Geez, I should have probably just snatched you a little earlier, then we could have avoided a certain psychotic trash from throwing crappy talk. What do you say, my darling Shiz?" Natsuki spoke intimately but loudly for everyone to hear – for Shizuru to snap her back to reality sending thousands of electric voltage in her body upon hearing such intimate endearment and for the new intruder to annoy her more.

"Huh! Snatch? What a cheater! Such a loser! The _infamous_ scumbag Natsuki Kuga, Kaichou of Zaffiro University, now resorts to kidnapping, afraid of being such a sore loser." The teal haired girl spoke so disgustedly.

"Bark bark bark! Heh. Now looking at your ugly seaweed uniform, I wonder why that old stinking school of Shenden did not properly put its crappy dog on leash. Geez, that poor old school is really doomed, having a crappy dog as their Kaichou." Natsuki laughed wickedly.

"Shut up! Unfortunately for you, I will beat you to a pulp in two days. For now, I'll be patient and watch you live before I destroy you completely. And do me a great favor, don't be such a sneaky bastard trying to kidnap other Kaichou just so they will not enter the competition. Your sorry ass will be disqualified if you do that and I would not be so happy not to fulfill my promise of terminating you." It was now the teal haired girl's turn to laugh despicably.

"I'll be more than happy to terminate you piece by piece." The cool Natsuki retorted.

"Oh please, save your purely rubbish talk to yourself. No one needs to hear it." The teal haired spat towards Natsuki.

She then came forward and held both Shizuru's delicate hands to hers. "Kaichou Shizuru, I will give you until tomorrow to accept my alliance. I trust that you will accept this offer." She smiled sweetly at her and brought their clasped hands to her mouth, giving the brunette's hands a kiss.

However, even before any lips-to-hands contact were made, the annoyed blue haired girl quickly snatched the brunette's hands and quickly made a great escape towards the door while dragging the winded brunette, leaving the angry teal haired girl all alone in the room.

"You will pay dearly for this, Natsuki Kuga. I swear that." She grinned wickedly.


	3. Rivals and Alliances

Hello! Sorry for the long delay. Thanks again to those who follow, favorite, review this story. Let me know what you think. Hope you like this looooong chapter.

-x-

"W-who would have thought… y-you're just easy to abduct? No sweat!" The blue haired woman announced arrogantly as she heavily panted with her hands on her knees beside the brunette who was also catching up her breath. They had ran endlessly around the school campus until they reached the greenhouse garden at the farthest end of the university. The brunette knew that this was the only place without any prying eyes to gape and gawk at them. Also, the growing plants around them glinting off under what little rays of sunlight was left was quite a scenery to behold. It was said that one of the previous Kaichou had built this little green world for her own entertainment calling this place 'Secret Garden' due to the fact that it was literally hidden from plain view before she unexpectedly resigned and dropped out of school or so they said.

"Ara, Natsuki must be kidding, right? In case she hasn't noticed," Shizuru spread both her arms and made a small quick turnaround, small smirk visible on her lovely face. "This is our school campus. It looks to me like I'm the one who abducted Natsuki." The chestnut haired woman giggled softly as she had countered her as a matter of fact. She then sat on the nearest bench with her left hand on her chest as she calmed down her racing heart. It had been a while that she ran like crazy, leaving her exhilarating and breathless.

As she glanced up at the cobalt haired girl across from her, the brunette thought she saw the arrogant woman blushing slightly as her brows furrowed cutely in one straight line and her attractive face slowly turning into an adorable scowl. The brunette suddenly had the urge to see Natsuki's blushing moments to be more frequent rather than her pathetic, speechless self to be more recurring.

"Duh! You are way too, _too harmless_ , this can't be considered abduction!" Natsuki scoffed back coolly, waving her hand back and forth on her face, as if erasing the thought from her head. She was obviously happy to counter back the amused brunette as she flicked her smooth silky blue tresses back revealing her toned shoulders beneath the plain white shirt she was wearing.

"Oh my," The brunette exclaimed pretending to be surprised. "I do apologize. I didn't realize Natsuki is way too dangerous for me." The brown haired Kaichou stifled a laugh making the blue haired woman to scowl even more. The brunette was feeling ecstatic to see the clearly-not-so-cool-but-adorable-side of the arrogant Kaichou. "If Natsuki is to ask me," Her scarlet eyes twinkling at her mischievously. "I feel like I could steal something from her and get away with it… _unscathed_!" The brunette continued her tease leaving the blue haired woman unconsciously raising an eyebrow in askance, both amazed and annoyed at the same time.

Natsuki then walked towards the seated Kaichou and suddenly bent down to level her smug-looking face with the now wide-eyed brunette, only few inches apart, flashing her a cheeky, challenging grin. "I would like to see Miss Playgirl try."

The brunette had almost forgotten to breathe as she felt the warm and enticing breath coming from the blue haired girl. She had only realized she'd been holding her breath when her lungs screamed for oxygen and she obligingly breathed out. _Geez, Shizuru, relax. You need to breathe,_ she mentally chided herself for such a recurring mental lapse in front of the arrogant Kaichou. Natsuki seemed to have realized the effect she had on the brunette and her lips curved upwards as an idea struck her brilliant mind.

"How about this, I shall be the one to steal from Miss Smokin-Hot-Kaichou?" The blue haired woman spoke those words seductively then she purposely licked her lips temptingly while her face was still leveled with the brunette's. The brunette could not help but glance at those luscious lips in front of her as they were being moistened quite slowly and deliberately.

Her ridiculously recurring state of mental lapse did not go unnoticed and Natsuki took this to her full advantage. Even before the brunette could respond, the blue haired woman quickly inched her face closer to the stunned Kaichou, with only few millimeters apart. Instinctively, the brunette's eyes shut close, her thick long eyelashes being emphasized in the process. The blue haired woman could stare at the beautiful masterpiece in front of her timelessly however, she knew better than to stare and gawk rather stupidly. _Time is essential._

Natsuki was about to close the gap between them when she stopped herself midway and simply settled to something more appropriate. _Tease her!_ She drew closer to the brunette's reddening ear and blew some hot air quite alluringly making the brunette squeal cutely in surprise. The blue haired woman was always amused to get different silly reactions from the brunette, clearly pleased with herself. _Score for Natsuki!_

As she opened her eyes slowly, Natsuki drew back and faced her again or rather stared intently at her, making her face turning a shade redder than a tomato by the minute. Then, the blue haired girl softly kissed her perfectly sculpted nose before she stood up straight. The brunette was starting to hyperventilate she could feel her erratic thumping heart in her throat when suddenly she heard a small husky voice in the background of her suddenly hazy mind.

"I like you." The blue haired woman whispered softly as if she was telling this to herself while she settled her emerald eyes to stare randomly at the greeneries in front of her, away from the confused crimson eyes staring dumbfounded at her. The brunette wondered if it was just her imagination overshadowing reality making her to hallucinate or if she really heard her speak those words. _I. Like. You._ She was just trying to decide which was which when she heard that same husky voice now louder and clearer directly addressing her.

"I like you Shizuru Fujino." The blue haired confessed bravely as she offered the shocked brunette her signature smirk. "I have always liked you." She repeated those words as if she was reminiscing memories from the past. In a blink of an eye, her tone suddenly became serious and decisive. "And so I've decided I'm going to stop you."

The brunette could only shake her head in response, confusion and wonderment mixing together as the blue haired woman did not seem to make any sense. The cobalt haired woman faced her with a genuinely serious expression.

"I want you to concede. Drop the competition." Natsuki further explained as if she was asking a simple request from the brunette who could only raise an eyebrow in response.

"But why?" The brunette had blurted out clearly more confused as their conversation progressed.

Natsuki retrieved a small envelope from her jeans pocket and tossed it towards the brunette who caught it in midair. "Open it," she urged her and the brunette complied as she opened the envelope and removed a small crumpled piece of paper. The brunette had to squint her eyes to read whatever was written due to the poor condition of the mutilated paper. As the words slowly sank in, the brunette looked up at Natsuki who was curiously staring at her. Suddenly, the brunette's lips curved upwards which genuinely confused the blue haired woman.

"What are you woman, a delusional? How could you be laughing now?" Natsuki chastised her as she snatched the crumpled paper back and unconsciously scowled in the process. She pouted cutely making it harder for Shizuru to focus on whatever the other was saying.

"Does Natsuki actually believe this prank letter is true?" Shizuru inquired clearly amused at the legendary scowl now recurring on Natsuki's pretty face, more out of habit.

"My sanity calls me to believe it. Geez, what makes you even say that this is just a prank letter? What if this is true? What if this person really means this? Are you even using your head properly?" The cobalt haired woman was too late to realize that she had not stopped herself from outpouring her concern as soon as she saw the brunette smiling at her. Her cheeks suddenly heated up and she had to turn around away from the prying crimson orbs. She mentally scolded herself from being transformed into a chatterbox. _That was just so un-me!_ S _o uncool Natsuki! Argh!_

"Ara, Natsuki sounds so convincing I almost want to believe Natsuki is concerned more of my wellbeing than just scratching me off the game." The brunette gently teased looking for signs on the real intention behind the cobalt haired woman's actions and reactions. Natsuki huffed in response and shook her head in resignation. Clearly, there was only so much that she could do. _This woman sure is thickheaded._

"Look. If you don't want to believe me, fine. But, I'm warning you, it appears someone has ill-intentions towards you. I won't be surprised that I'm not the only one to receive that letter and whoever sent this either wants you out of the game or out for good. I bet with this prize money, others will surely take the bait. Be it real or not, someone wants you on the spotlight. Everyone will be after you. Do you even realize that?" The blue haired woman paused to catch her breath after her long speech leaving the brunette in deep thought. Natsuki took a deep breath to calm her agitated self.

Clearly, what Natsuki had said was beyond rebuttal. However, she could not just simply walk away especially as she was representing her university, Rojoh University, currently ranking number one among other universities. Logically thinking, whoever came up with this strategy wanted the strongest contender to be eliminated as soon as possible to increase their winning chances. It was also a possibility that there might be some hidden vendetta against the school or against her personally. However, the brunette was also concerned if the threat was not just a bluff. If that was the case, she would end up endangering not only herself but also whoever would join with her – maybe Reito, Haruka or Nao.

Either way, the brunette had decided that conceding was never an option. In the end, it was also her reputation as a Kaichou which was at stake aside from her university's status. She imagined what would have been the streaming headline if she had decided to give up. ' _Famous flirty Kaichou of Rojoh University,_ conceded with tail between her legs'. She shook her head clearly not amused with the catastrophic news. Nope. Nadda. Conceding was absolutely a no-no.

"Thank you Natsuki. Come what may but I cannot simply just concede. I will just have to find out the authenticity of this letter during the competition. And I will find whoever comes up with this _brilliant_ idea." The brunette spoke the words with finality which left Natsuki rolling her wide emerald eyes in disbelief.

"Then you leave me with no choice. I'll just have to eliminate you." Natsuki announced as she nonchalantly combed her long straight hair with her hand then jabbed a finger towards her companion as she mentioned the last word.

"Ara, what a daring statement that is!" The brunette softly giggled. "I hope Natsuki is not underestimating me?" Her eyebrows raising in askance, half teasing.

"I'm not. But you should know me better by now. What Natsuki wants, Natsuki gets." The blue haired woman grinned as she winked playfully at her. The brunette relaxed a little to see Natsuki had changed her serious expression to a mischievous one although she did not like the idea that she'll have to go against her. _Oh well._

"Ostentatious, aren't you!" Shizuru exclaimed cheerily. The arrogant side of the woman was turning visibly bolder.

"My reputation speaks for me." The blue haired woman stretched her arms as she confidently brag about herself. "I don't simply go around blabbing some nonsense. I make them real. _I make things happen._ " Natsuki's emerald eyes twinkled as her recollections of her heroism and awesomeness flashed in her memory. She then grinned like a fool.

"Hmm.. I guess I'll have to force Natsuki to make me an _exception_." The brunette teased as she brought her index finger to her chin in a thinking poise.

"Challenge accepted." The arrogant woman arrogantly responded.

"Shame though. As you have predicted, everyone will really be after me. Unfortunately, that clearly includes you." Shizuru thought out loud as she stood up and walked around the greenhouse garden, hands clamped behind her back.

"Yes, but in a good way. You know my intention." Natsuki followed the brunette in a slower pace, secretly admiring the brunette's sexy back partially hidden in those brown wavy tresses. The brunette then turned towards her and Natsuki quickly forced her emerald eyes to meet those crimson eyes, greatly relieved for not being caught staring like some perverted fool. _Luckkky!_

"Hm.. what is Natsuki's intention?" The brunette intentionally let her gaze linger longer than necessary at Natsuki's face trying to decipher the other girl. The intense crimson orbs froze the cobalt haired girl in her tracks and she suddenly felt a lump in her throat. At that moment, Natsuki felt her heart being pierced through with the sudden flashback of painful memory that she thought she had long archived in her sub-consciousness and she hated at how it had resurfaced quite forcefully and haunted her inexorably. She half turned effectively concealing her face from the brunette's view as she tried to control her conflicting emotions that seemed to overwhelm her. _My real intention, you say?_

 _For you to remember… me…_ Natsuki's thoughts screamed inside her head as she desperately wanted those words to be spoken out and heard of. Her internal conflict seemed to magnify the more she thought about it, the surge of emotions almost completely getting out of hand. However, she knew better than to pathetically blurt out some forgotten past that now just seemed inexistent and surreal. It had become a taboo, a forbidden memory that no one needed to remember. _Leave the past in the past. She does not need to know._

The silence that engulfed them was neither bothering nor imposing. Natsuki had taken this time to completely tear herself off her lingering past and brought herself back to reality. Fortunately for her, the brunette did not seem to realize the sudden internal conflict that aroused within her companion as Natsuki had now efficiently locked and sealed away the conflicting emotions securely in the treasure chest that is her wounded heart. _She does not need to remember,_ she chanted to herself as she forced herself to smile painfully. Then, feigning her happiness, she glanced back at the brunette, smirking as if nothing had happened.

"I won't always be there to save your-damsel-in-distress-self. The easier way is for me to eliminate you since you are so prideful and thickheaded to concede!" Natsuki mockingly responded as she offered her a forced chuckle. _Get a grip of yourself, Natsuki._

"Ara, if Natsuki is so against me and others will also go after me, I think accepting Tomoe's proposition will increase my chances to stay in the competition." The brunette casually responded as she continued to walk towards the end of the garden, her chestnut tresses softly being blown by the wind. The cobalt haired woman was glad for the diversion in her dark past however she groaned in disgust upon hearing a certain creepy name. Her antagonism towards the green-haired Kaichou was on the high list but for now she thankfully accepted the diversion. Choosing the lesser of the two evil thoughts, she silently cursed and sighed.

"Duh! That idiotic pathetic arrogant teal haired psycho?" Natsuki snorted loudly. "You should be even most suspicious of her. Don't you find it sneaky? Why will she go offer alliance with you when clearly everyone wants to hunt you down? Who knows, she might be the one sending this letter? And in order to ensure her success to get you off the game, she needs to monitor you or even backstab you when necessary. She will eat you alive!" She scowled heavily as her brows furrowed in angry lines. She continued to follow the brunette who was in the lead and habitually flicked her ocean-blue hair back.

"Ara. I believe Natsuki is making quite a lot of assumptions here. Firstly, there is no proof that everyone also receive the same letter as you are. Then, the authenticity of the letter is also highly doubted. This may be just some hocus pocus strategy to throw me off the game. Also, Tomoe's real intentions are still unknown. But thank you… for your concern." The brunette blushed slightly while stopping in her tracks as she gazed at the remaining streaks of light coming from the sun slowly setting down. She then fluttered her eyelids close and inhaled softly as soft breeze caressed her serene face, making her relaxed a little despite the tension in the air. Natsuki knew that the brunette's decision to change was close to impossibility and she knew best to just drop the argument.

"But don't say I didn't warn you. Looks like your decision is as resolved as mine. I guess I'll just meet Miss Playgirl in the battlefield." The cobalt haired girl gradually went towards the brunette and squeezed both her hands tightly. "Please be safe." Then, she turned her heels away from the brunette and silently walked from where they came from. Shizuru had quickly missed the sudden warmth that clasped her hands as her eyes opened and followed the retreating figure.

During that whole time they were chatting and bantering in the secret garden, neither realized the presence of the redhead who was silently snoozing in one of the thick branches of a large sakura tree. However, she was immediately alerted of the presence of the two intruders when they entered noisily. _Ah! The lovebirds,_ she thought to herself. The redhead knew better than to ruin their moments together and so she decided to simply stay hidden (and eavesdrop of course).

Apparently, unnoticed to the three, it was not just the redhead who had been eavesdropping as the brown-haired woman appeared to know the little secret garden like the back of her hand. She hid herself conveniently in between two large adjacent sakura trees, a little farther away from the brunette and cobalt haired woman, but still within hearing distance. Neither the redhead knew about the sneaking figure as Nao was simply engrossed to eavesdropping delightfully. The short haired woman seemed to sneak in in the middle of the conversation as she saw the giggling brunette talking happily to the scowling woman. As she settled her gaze on the cobalt haired woman, she was taken aback as familiarity dawned on her. _Natsuki? Why is she here? With Shizuru?_

After Natsuki left, the brunette stayed a little longer as she recollected herself by clearing her mind off the competition. However, her mood suddenly became gloomy and depressing as she remembered what day was today. She sighed mournfully before deciding to leave as it was soon getting dark and the redhead might be chopping her head off looking for her crazily. They had earlier decided to meet in the Student Council office before heading off school. Little did she know that the redhead was also in the secret garden watching her intently, mixed emotions flickering on her face. As soon as the brunette stalked off, the redhead jumped down from the branch she had stayed on and stretched her numbing arms and knuckles. She waited for few more minutes before she also left the secret garden and took a different route going to the Student Council room. After safely assuming that the brunette was inside, she knocked and opened the door halfway.

"Shiz? Let's go?" Nao inquired.

"Sure Yuuki. Thanks for coming with me. It's been a while…" The brunette stood up and strapped her schoolbag on her shoulders as she headed towards the redhead.

"Yeah... It's really been a while since we last visited… her grave." Nao finished for her.

"I've missed her. It's been what, two years? " The brunette croaked in melancholy as she blinked her eyes to avoid any tears from falling.

"Yeah Shiz, I've missed her too." Nao responded mournfully.

"We should have been celebrating her birthday now. It's all my fault." Shizuru reminisced sadly as she tried to control her emotions from exploding uncontrollably.

"It's no one's fault. No one's blaming you. It's an accident Shiz. And let's leave it at that." Nao insistently countered. "Come, let's go before it gets dark." Shizuru nodded solemnly and together they went off to visit the graveyard.

-x-

Natsuki had conveniently parked her Ducati beside the apartment house she was renting and was walking towards the door while fishing out for her house keys when suddenly two bubbly heads appeared in the doorway almost giving her a heart attack.

"How was it? How was it? Tell us how was it?" Mikoto happily jumped up and down like a cat waiting for some treats.

"Geez, stop barging my place as you please, people!" The cobalt haired woman complained as she scooted both of them out and made her away inside.

"Mou! Just when I cooked some good ramen noodles, I guess I'll just have to take them back home with me." The orange haired woman pouted playfully as she and Mikoto were being scooted out. "Yeah yeah. You're no fun Natsuki!" Mikoto bobbed her head as she was being dragged out.

Once inside, the cobalt haired woman plopped down on the couch and sighed deeply. The two intruders looked at each other, worried expressions surfacing on their faces. Suddenly, she looked up at them with her big adorable emerald puppy eyes. _Oh no, she needs something from us,_ they both taught mentally.

"Mai, Neko, I need your help." She spoke abruptly.

"Stop calling me Neko!" The cat woman whined cutely as she grabbed a long wooden stick and hit Natsuki's head in retaliation.

"Ow! You Neko girl!" The offended woman winced as she stroked her injured head and started running towards the black haired woman. They ran around what little maze they have which was Natsuki's room while Mai settled herself to scooping some ramen for the three of them. As soon as the cat and dog got tired from running in circles, they sat beside the bubbly orange-haired woman suddenly feeling hungry as the aroma of the ramen noodles was thick in the air. As they ate in silence, Mai coughed relevantly and forced her attention on her. Natsuki would have liked to keep her silence but she knew she needed their help and so she had to tell them everything.

"Did she recognize you?" The orange-haired woman whispered softly, a ramen bowl in her hand and chopsticks on the other.

"No." She responded curtly.

"Like really? Not even a trace of familiarity whatsoever?" Mikoto joined in the conversation as she gulped on her ramen soup quite loudly.

"Well, I don't expect her to remember me…" She lied as she settled to stare down at her own ramen. "I just wanted to see her and wondered if she is okay, especially today was _her birthday._ I heard from Nao they're going to visit _her grave_ later today. I'll visit her tomorrow." She explained.

"I'll go with you tomorrow." Mai offered and the cobalt haired girl offered her a small smile.

"Uhm, how about the competition? Did you tell her she is in grave danger?" The cat woman questioned then brought some more noodles to her mouth.

"She did not believe me. She said this was just an intended pun to scare her off and no real harm." She answered as she blew some air on her ramen bowl before gingerly eating the hot thick noodles.

"Then, what's the plan now? How do you want to proceed?" Mai asked in concern.

"The plan?" Natsuki eyed both of them as she dropped down her ramen bowl. "is to kick her out of the game. That's the only way I can protect her. And I'll be needing your help with that." Natsuki's cheeks flushed slightly as she dropped her gaze to her ramen bowl again. She rarely wanted to ask for anyone's help but she knew better than to let her pride take over. Both her best friends seemed happy to hear that Natsuki wanted their help and Mikoto dropped her bowl with a thud and stood up, facing the cobalt haired woman. She suddenly raised her right hand and recited.

"I, Mikoto Minagi, Kaichou of Bendei University, wholeheartedly pledge my alliance to this blushing woman here named Natsuki Kuga." Mikoto teased and the bubbly girl followed suit raising her right hand in pledge.

"I, Mai Tokiha, Kaichou of Hyogaku University, second the motion." She grinned. Natsuki's cheeks flushed furiously as her best friends clearly gave her their full support.

-x-

Meanwhile, a black-haired guy who was busy practicing his kendo techniques heard a knock on his door. He quickly put down his kendo sword and grabbed a towel to wipe his sweating face as he opened slid open the door.

"I apologize to intrude your practice but Yayoi said you call for me, Takeda sensei?" A pretty short woman with light brown eyes looked expectantly at him.

"Ah yes." He rubbed his chin unconsciously as he gauged her nervously. "Well, I was just wondering if by any chance, you know a certain Kaichou named N-N-Natsuki Kuga?" He hated himself as he stupidly stuttered whenever he tried to pronounce her name. _What's wrong with me?_

"I believe I've heard of her. But I do not know her personally." Nina responded formally, though she was intrigued to suddenly be asked about her.

"Well, Malder and Zaffiro are good rival schools and we are very much indebted to them for providing us financial assistance. I believe you are aware our school sends exchange students to their school." Takeda toyed with his hands as he smiled at her sheepishly.

"I don't understand the relevance of what you are saying, Sensei." Nina asked in confusion.

"Look, I know this is a competition and all that, and of course our school's reputation is at stake here but I also do not want us to look bad by ignoring the big favors we get from Yukariko sensei of Zaffiro University. So I want you to offer your assistance when needed to K-K-Kuga and that's an order. Are we clear?" He suddenly sounded superior to cover the way he had acted and stuttered rather weirdly.

"Understood Sensei." Nina nodded her head grimly.

"You may now go." He then quickly closed the door to avoid any stuttering from happening. _Natsuki-chan, I just sent you my angel to help you,_ he wondered dreamily as he leaned on his door foolishly.

-x-

"KYAAH! I'm gonna maki maki them all!" Her brown chest-length spiral-looking hair moved in a snakelike, wavy manner as her one hand held some strange-looking wooden object with a handle while the other maneuvered the handle in circling motions. She continued her chant relentlessly as she continued the circling motions while facing a small pond. "Maki maki green, maki maki red, maki maki yellow. Maki maki green, maki maki red, maki maki yellow. Hear me now, answer my bellow."

"That's the spirit!" Shiho suddenly stopped and gazed at the intruder. Upon noticing it was her Sensei, she smiled sheepishly as she scratched her head happily.

"Go get them all, Shiho! You are way better than them." Gal encouraged her strongly.

"I will sir!" Shiho saluted formally. Once Gal left, the Kaichou relentlessly chanted to herself again. "Maki maki green, maki maki red, maki maki yellow, I'm gonna maki maki you all." She roared.

-x-

Meanwhile, Nagi of Pronte University was having a secret call with John Smith of Ashika University as they seemed to discuss the terms of their alliance, if it was to push through.

"Like I say Mr. John, Miyu Greer is a worthy ally. She's a trained warrior. I'm actually more worried of the one you picked though." Nagi had his phone close to his ears as he seated himself in his leather chair and raised both his feet on his desk. Nagi heard the other line chuckled loudly.

"Mr. Nagi, aren't you familiar with the Okuzaki clan?" John inquired.

"Actually you know what, I'm not familiar." Nagi answered, clearly enjoying to piss off John who sighed deeply.

"Akira is from Okuzaki clan, one of the oldest ninja clan in Tokyo. If you know better, you should not underestimate her." John spoke proudly on the other line.

"Interesting." Nagi rubbed his chin as he smiled wickedly. "I guess we have just formed our alliance then?" He asked. "Sure do Mr. Nagi, as we agreed, let's eliminate the top three schools first, especially Shizuru Fujino." Then the line went off. Nagi then dialed some numbers and pressed call. After few rings, it was answered by a steely voice.

"Miyu, I got you a nice little friend to help you out. I believe her name is Arika. Get yourself acquainted with her okay?" He then hung up the phone and snickered to himself.

-x-

Lena Sayers knocked on her daughter's room as she opened the door and walked inside the room. She saw her sitting in front of the closet mirror brushing her hair jovially.

"Arika, my dear, how are you feeling?" Lena asked her as she looked as her daughter's reflection in the mirror.

"I can't wait! I'm so excited! I'm feeling so antsy! I mean come on, I'm going to represent our university! I'm so so so happy! Two more days left mom! Two more days! I'll make Xander University so proud of me. Just like how you and grandma are so proud of me." Arika was so animated Lena could not help but smile at her lovingly.

"We are already proud of you." Her cheeks flushed as Lena hugged her from behind. "Thanks mom." She giggled.

-x-

Miya Clochette, Kaichou of Nolderic University, nervously fished for her phone in her bag as soon she heard it ringing. Once she found it, she answered it hesitantly.

"H-hello?" Chill ran down her spine as she heard the voice from the other line.

"Miya, change of plans, scare off Shizuru Fujino, injure Natsuki Kuga, beyond repair. I also give the same details to Erstin who agreed to help you out."

"Erstin? I'm not familiar with her." Miya spoke.

"The Kaichou from Toride University, are you stupid?" Miya winced as she heard the loud voice from the other side.

"S-sorry." She muttered.

"Anyway, preparations will be done tomorrow. You know where to meet us." Then the line went dead. Anxiously, she removed the phone from her ears as she heaved deeply. She shivered and dropped down to her knees as she remembered the threat clearly in her head. _Follow me not and you'll regret it. You know what I can do._

-x-

The following morning, excitement was bubbling in the air as there was only a day left before the first elimination round of the Tough Contenders. The Student Council Presidents of the participating universities were busy preparing and strategizing their game plans for tomorrow's big event, already targeting those they considered as weakest links while others were snooping around for some information on who luckily obtained the high worth gemstones and adding them to their target list. Even others had already formed alliance with other rival schools.

While the Kaichou already knew the gemstone their school's headmasters had gotten, these stones would only be given to them at the start of the elimination round. Thus, they could not yet safe keep their precious gemstones until tomorrow. Thus, playing both defense and offense was a must if they wanted to stay in the game.

Early that morning, the brunette in the Student Council room was skimming through some papers when she heard a knock on the door and called for the stranger to come in. It was none other than the troublemaker Yuuki Nao with a crooked smile planted on her beautiful red lips as she leaned coolly on the door after closing it. She coughed intentionally to get the attention of the busy chestnut haired woman seated in a swivel chair behind the desk, rummaging through some papers smoothly. Finally, she looked up and offered her a sweet smile. Nao was quite relieved to see that the brunette looked livelier than yesterday.

" _So?_ " her perfectly knitted brows wiggled in excitement as she addressed her nonverbal question to the brunette. Surely, there was one thing written all over her smug face as if saying, _I'm all in, so let's go all out._ Shizuru's crimson eyes could only twinkle delightfully in response. Who would be her best ally if not the troublemaker, she thought to herself. But of course, the mighty Shizuru was not someone to be fooled.

"Ara, ara! And what might it be for someone as happy-go-lucky as you are to suddenly offer your wonderful assistance? Surely, it is not about the school's reputation you are worried about, are you?" She asked her inquisitively as she gracefully collected the scattered papers on her desk and stacked them neatly in the folder, less the one she held in her right hand.

"Gahhh! Oh _please_ , school reputation? Pffft! As if I ever care!" Nao sneered at the thought. "Let's just say I miss having _real fun._ After all, the school security dog is not getting any fun anymore. Geez, imagine her fierce, dagger eyes – they're enough to break my neck any second. Geez, that crazy blonde dog!" She retorted as the image of the bossy, noisy blonde inevitably crossed her mind. She cringed at the memory and shook her head to free her mind from the monster dog's image.

"Hmm… I see… alright, sure you are in." the brunette responded in a singsong voice. However, the redhead did not fail to catch the brunette's lips slowly curving upwards in an annoying but still a dazzling smile.

"Pfft! That cheeky sneaky smile of yours, I so hate it. Do you hear that? So what's the catch?" The redhead cocked her head to one side as she gauged her old friend who covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled softly.

"Ara, you got me, not bad Yuuki." Shizuru happily complimented then sipped from her cup, clearly savoring the lingering green tea flavor in her taste buds.

"Geez, just when I thought I'll be having some fun! So much for my definition of fun." Nao whined cutely as she dropped her hands on her side dejectedly, exaggerating her melancholic aura.

"On the contrary, I believe this will even spice up your connotation of fun." The brunette teased smoothly as she dropped down her cup in the dainty cup placemat on her desk.

"Oh yeah? Let me hear it and I'll be the one to decide." Nao smirked as her eyebrows raised unconsciously, challenging the brunette to speak up.

"Fine. It's not a big deal anyway. You'll just have to team up with your favorite friend, Haruka. After all, Yuuki got firsthand experience of Haruka's monstrous ability whenever you _exercise_ her." Shizuru grinned showing her perfectly white teeth as she watched the horror struck face of her old friend who almost dropped her jaw in disbelief.

"Wait! That just sounds so wrong, disgusting and creepy, you dirty woman! Don't go implying something that isn't!" The redhead scratched her short hair gruffly, annoyed at the stupid idea that again crossed her mind. It just gave her the goose bumps enough for her skin to crawl. _Horrible Fujino!_

"Ara, I believe Yuuki's mind really needs some fine-tuning or rather, should I say a complete overhaul?" The chestnut haired girl clamped her mouth to prevent herself from laughing seeing the wide eyed redhead. "I am just referring to the fact that you always play hide and seek with her here on campus."

"Gah! Whatever! But there is no way I will team up with a crazy stupid dog! Like really no way! Ever!" The redhead shook her head violently as she put her hands on her hips emphatically. She started throwing reasonable arguments towards the brunette all pointing to the idea that having Haruka in her team was a losing battle. The brunette could only wonder where the mutual dislike for each other could have sprouted to be so real.

"Hm, so does that mean, Yuuki is out?" Shizuru inquired while eyeing the redhead who seemed to be in deep thought. She then looked up and blurted. "Well, if the blonde dog is in, then count me out!" The redhead clarified with a satisfied grin.

"Ah I see. Alright. That's settled then. I'll just have to tell the bossy blondie that poor Yuuki is so scared of her that's why she opted out." The brunette spoke so innocently while the redhead had her veins popping out by the second.

"Seriously, you annoyingly know how to twist and turn the truth." Nao mocked as she jabbed a finger accusingly to the brunette who was clearly feigning innocence.

"Just admit it. You have to know that sometimes, the truth hurts, Yuuki." Shizuru teased back relentlessly, clearly annoying the redhead all the more.

"Che! You always get what you want. Fine, the awesome Yuuki Nao is still in, despite having a loser on your team. Seriously Shiz, I'd be more than happy for you to reconsider her. You won't want to give your opponents a great disadvantage, by having the blonde dog around. Who knows, her pure hatred towards you might be something. She'd betray you the instance she finds opportunity." Nao warned her with a serious expression.

"Thank you for your faux concern, Yuuki. That's greatly appreciated." Nao chortled playfully as she got busted by the brunette. "However, Haruka is not someone to go down and play dirty, especially with the school's reputation at stake." Shizuru casually pointed out to her to which the redhead just shrugged off nonchalantly.

"Whatever you say. Anyway, let's catch up later lunch, afternoon or whenever and let me know the battle plan. Let's go kick them out!" Nao smirked and turned to open to door when the chestnut haired girl called her attention.

"Absolutely, Yuuki. After all, this elimination round should be entertaining." Shizuru paused shortly as she tucked some loose hair behind her ear. "Oh and by the way, would you happen to know the newly elected Kaichou of Malder University? If I'm not mistaken, I think her name is Nina Wang? Beautiful one, indeed." The brunette spoke the words so innocently but it whipped out the air from the shocked redhead who suddenly stood frozen in her spot upon hearing the name. It took her few seconds to recover her senses and composed herself in front of the brunette who eyed her knowingly. _Darn, this woman is something!_

"Tsk, The all-knowing Kaichou, I should expect no less." Nao, whose face was still flustered, fully turned around to face the brunette as she crossed her arms across her chest. "Geez, you know what, you never fail to amaze me. Like _really_!" Nao rolled her eyes as she returned a knowing look to the smiling brunette.

"Ara, thank you, Yuuki. I will take that as a compliment." The chestnut haired girl cheekily replied as she brought the cup to her mouth and gracefully sipped on her green tea while the redhead turned the doorknob and was halfway out when she looked back towards the innocent-looking brunette.

"After all, you being speechless towards a certain Kaichou was still amazing! Oh so fresh in my memory! What's the name again?" Nao laughed inwardly as she saw the brunette almost dropping her cup on the desk followed by such a deathly glare – it was so priceless, she almost rolled on the floor laughing. _Too easy, Shiz! Just so you know, I've also got a trump card under my sleeve. Not. Just. You._

The short silence that followed signaled the redhead to continue. "Hmm… Kuga? Natsuki Kuga, if my memory serves me right. This should really be _entertaining,_ right _Kaichou-sama_?!" Nao winked at her mockingly as she hurried to close the door with a loud thud, much to Shizuru's chagrin for not having a winning comeback comment. She sighed deeply and silently cursed her own inattentiveness around the blue haired woman. Clearly, she had terribly lost that teasing battle as the redhead completely tore off her mask of perfection, draining all the color on her face as the redhead mentioned _that_ name. She even felt more humiliated as her cheeks continue to flourish in varying shades of red reminiscing a certain arrogant Kaichou. _Oh I could just vanish from so much humiliation!_

In all honesty, she did not need the redhead to remind her of the arrogant woman as she was already staring at Natsuki's photo in the paper she was holding earlier. While the introverted secretary had done a wonderful job compiling all the relevant details of the Kaichou from other universities, it appeared that there was lesser information that could be obtained from a certain blue haired Kaichou. It appeared that no one seemed to know the blue haired girl on a personal level. _Well, except maybe for Yuuki,_ Shizuru thought as she made a quick mental note to herself to question the redhead. _Or maybe not, unless I'm prepared to be eaten alive by that redhead again. Hmm. Cruel Yuuki. She sure knows more than she intends to let me know._

As her thoughts unconsciously circled back to the blue haired woman who bugged her memory mercilessly, she recalled the incident yesterday and she suddenly felt a surge of electric current flowing in her long delicate hands and coursing through her body as she reminisced the way the arrogant Kaichou roughly grabbed her hand and made a break away from the classroom. Such intense feeling both scared and excited her at the same time. It was such a new feeling or so she thought, sending her in a rollercoaster ride of emotions. She had been thinking about her ceaselessly, anticipating the moment they are to meet again but it was also making her obviously anxious and disturbed as the said woman seemed to penetrate through her invisible wall barriers, making her feel so defenseless and vulnerable. However, she would have to resolve her internal conflicts some other time as she knew that there were more pressing matters that needed her urgent attention, particularly her last conversation with the cobalt haired girl yesterday. _Tough luck. I guess I'll really have to accept Tomoe's proposition._

-x-


	4. The Revenge

Hi! Thank you again readers and followers. Your comments, follows and favorites were greatly appreciated. To my consistent reviewers, you know who you are – two thumbs up to all of you.

Sorry. This chapter is long overdue.

A/N: There has been a rating change to 'T'. Please enjoy!

-x-

It was already late in the afternoon, the sea was getting rough, the waves getting dangerously bigger and strong winds blowing harder when a loud splash of water was heard as two figures suddenly fell from the speeding boat, followed by horrifying shriek of voices.

As she sank deeper, the first thing that registered in her mind was the ice cold water that pricked her skin like thousand knives, making it harder to breathe. She tried to open her emerald eyes but the seawater made it such a difficult endeavor, she could only peek from time to time. Small bubbles escaped her lips.

In the corner of her eye, she saw a movement and realized her friend, a little older than her, desperately flapping her arms and feet against the water currents, trying to reach above the surface and she followed suit.

However, her little paper-thin body only worked against her as huge splashes of water engulfed her, submerging her further deeper, her efforts of little or no avail. She could frantically hear the erratic pounding of her chest, angry blood rushing in her veins and her burning lungs screaming for air.

Her heart in her mouth, she willed herself not to panic lest fear would cripple her. She again scrambled back on her feet, propelling her body up as she kicked with her legs with all her might while her small arms did rapid front strokes.

From above, she could see the little rays of the sun already setting down and forced herself to focus on getting above the surface. She swam ceaselessly in what felt like hours of long struggle, ignoring the bitter cold that bit her skin. _Up, up, up,_ she chanted to herself despite the grave terror that was intensely growing within her. Her arms moved left and right continuously, weaving her way through the undulating body of water. She firmly held her breath as she forced her green orbs to stay open despite the stinging sensation. _Move_ , she urged herself.

And just when she thought she was near, another angry giant wave, larger than the first, enveloped her making her sway and roll like dust blown by the wind and this time, her body seemed to have reached its limit. With one last ounce of strength, she clawed her way up only that the wave currents were stronger than her sheer will.

Fatigue had started to set in. Her mouth slightly parted as exhaustion took over and the offending seawater slowly seeped inside her little body. Her fading consciousness was a dreadful memory of herself plummeting down the bottom of the sea, her throbbing pulse getting weaker by the second, her shoulder-length midnight blue hair sprawled behind her and those emerald eyes suddenly getting heavy as she let them glance a little longer at what blurry rays of light that penetrated the sea.

She knew she was going to die. The searing pain would slowly ebb away together with her remaining strength and consciousness. _It was okay_ , she thought, at least she would not be alone anymore. She would at least be together with her loved ones, her parents. She knew she would never admit even to herself but the truth was undeniably and unmistakably painful – she hated to be alone.

Only she had one regret if she were to die now. She heard that when people were about to die or had near-death experiences, their lives flashed in their memory in lightning speed, recounting all their days. However, unlike what she thought she would experience, there was only one thing on her mind.

 _Shizuru._

She tried to remember the brunette's beautiful face, etching every detail in her memory. She saw her smiling sweetly at her, crimson eyes crinkled cutely. She recalled the sound of her pleasant voice and her fascinating accent, carried smoothly by the winds, calling her name teasingly. She reminisced her warm body, embracing her comfortingly, strong arms enveloping her protectively. Now, if only she could be allowed one wish, she desperately wanted to see her and express her feelings. And yet, it was a little too late.

Time was a cheater.

Above all, time was a liar.

Her heart ached with sorrow and regret. If only time machines existed, if only time could be bought, if only time could be stopped, if only time could be turned back. There were so many 'if only' scenarios and yet each was an impossibility with time on the other side of the equation.

Imbuing herself in solitude, she cried her heart out wishing the grim reaper to claim her sooner, at least there would be no more pain, when something warm wrapped around her, cupping her face as she felt her deadweight body being pulled up. She resisted the urge to open her emerald eyes and wished for whatever was disturbing her to just let her be. She wanted to die peacefully.

However, the force was insistent, whatever that was; it kept on squirming, tugging and lifting her up. Against her will, she lifted one eye open and despite the darkness that caved in underneath the monstrous sea, a pair of crimson orbs shone brightly, staring at her – mixed emotions of fear and anxiety, worry and relief registered in those eyes before her consciousness failed her.

From a distance, she heard a muffled voice that distracted her annoyingly from her slumber. She tried to ignore them as she felt extremely tired and restless. But much to her dismay, the inaudible voice was becoming stubborn and louder, she faintly and yet distinctively heard her name being called out followed by an excruciating pain that rippled throughout her body emanating from her chest, the compression done in a rhythmic pattern.

Then, she vaguely felt air from her mouth as her consciousness kept on zoning in and out when at the pit of her stomach, a pressure from within alarmingly needed to be released and she found herself vomiting a mouthful of water, dripping from the right side of her face.

She coughed relentlessly, her saliva mixing with the seawater as she spat them and the dizziness coupled by the throbbing pain at the back of her head doubled her agony, she could not keep her emerald eyes open. Then she heard someone speaking to her urgently, calling her attention, forcing her to come to her senses, yet she could vaguely hear the words, could only make few of them.

"Natsuki, Natsuki…" she felt someone, gently tapping her face "Listen, I'll come back… I'll have to find …" she could barely process whatever was being said when she felt someone hugging her, kissing her forehead softly. No matter how much she commanded her body to move, she was lying on her back uselessly, she could only squint her eyes as she saw the blurry image of someone retreating back, going at the edge of the boat.

 _Shizuru, is that you_ , she mentally asked herself as she blinked her weary eyes trying to focus on the moving figure. The aching sensation coursing through her body was enough proof to know she did not drown, the brunette must have saved her life. She groaned as she forced her arms to reach her and opened her mouth to call her back. And yet, no sound was coming from her mouth.

She saw her glancing back at her, giving her an encouraging smile and her mouth was moving, forming words she could not comprehend, partly muffled by the sound of winds and waves. She saw her jump off the edge of the boat, vanishing underneath the strong currents of water.

She thought she had another chance… a second chance, to make things right, to express her feelings. And yet, she didn't understand why at that moment, she felt as if it would be the last time she would see her again.

 _Come back, please don't leave me… come back, please come back,_ she thought desperately as tears welled up in those green eyes, her vision getting blurry and distorted; yet her voice only sounded a mix of gurgling sounds escaping her throat.

 _Shizuru,_ she tried to speak again, calling out to her, begging her not to go, but her plea was futile. _You will lose her_ , a voice screamed inside her head and with a forceful effort, she willed herself to speak.

"SHIZURU!" Natsuki jolted out from her bed as she found herself screaming, little beads of sweat dotting on her forehead, her body shivering as if splashed with cold water, her breath short and strained, the worst of it was the sickening feeling of fear building from within her.

She blinked her eyes several times as her brain tried to process what had just happened. She glanced at her surroundings, noting the familiar corners of her small apartment. She glanced at her watch on her bedside table indicating it was half past three in the morning. She inhaled sharply as she calmed her heart hammering frantically inside her chest. _I'm just dreaming,_ she convinced herself.

And yet no matter how much she persuaded herself not to worry, her instinct was acting devil's advocate, only adding fuel to the flame. She shuddered at the thought of reliving that painful memory of the past, it just felt so awfully real and disturbing. Her throat felt so dry and itchy as tears stung her eyes and she wept silently.

She realized that the upcoming competition this morning must have triggered her fear sub-consciously, appearing in moments of her weakness, especially during her sleep when she had no control of her conscious self. After few minutes, she again breathed deeply as she wiped her eyes with her bare arm, finally recollecting herself, emotions getting under control. With a resolved look, she muttered silently.

 _Shizuru, this time, I will protect you. That, I promise you._

-x-

It was finally the day everyone had long anticipated – the official start of the Tough Contenders. The twelve representatives were currently stationed in their own schools waiting for their headmasters to hand over the gems, signaling the start of the competition. Each gem had a tracker inside for the Board of Chairmen to monitor its whereabouts.

School activities in all participating universities were suspended giving way for the students to participate and support their Presidents. In Rojoh University particularly, half of the students were acting as school defenders surrounding the whole campus serving as the first line of defense. Their mission was simple, defend and attack – not to allow any forthcoming infiltrations by throwing paintballs and water balloons made of reeking sewage water to any invaders, the very idea coming from the proud redhead mischief-maker.

Some were part of a platoon divided into three squads to attack other schools, but mainly targeting the three elite universities – Miyu Greer of Pronte, Akira Okuzaki of Ashika and Natsuki Kuga of Zaffiro. In the end, Shizuru of Rojoh had joined forces with Tomoe of Shenden, a powerful ally and a formidable opponent.

Haruka was the platoon leader commanding all the squads consisting of ten students per group. Being a strategic leader she was, she already had snipers with tranquilizer guns positioned in three schools whereas spies and double agents were also deployed to obtain real-time information and spread disinformation. Decoys were also on a standby, in case the need arose.

In other universities, different battle tactics were also employed, including the use smoke grenades emitting very foul odors, strong sticky glue guns, smoke screens, camouflage attackers, booby traps and other deception strategies. In only a matter of minutes, each school would soon be turned into a battleground, the whole town of Fuuka soon to be a battlefield.

Inside the Student Council Room, Shizuru was gracefully sipping on her green tea, enjoying the moment of peace and serenity that consumed the whole office, the calm before the storm. She was dressed in comfortable clothes, blue jeans and a simple white shirt that further defined her body's curves, emphasizing her front and back assets in plain view.

"You seemed very relaxed or should I say, overly complacent, _Kaichou-sama_?" The redhead eyed her curiously, walking towards the window overlooking the campus where most of the students ran in circles as the blonde leader, hands on her hips, was barking orders.

The brunette sipped another from her cup then stood beside the redhead, both of them watching the lively action transpiring before them. They watched Haruka complained to the scrawny-looking secretary who could only sigh and shake her head in agreement as she followed the blonde around.

"Ara, everyone seems so energetic. I believe there should be nothing to worry about, unless Yuuki plans to betray me?" She again drank from her cup and in the corner of her eye, observed her friend who suddenly got tense but covered it up quickly, brushing it off with her maniacal laugh.

"Betray you? Where'd you get that idea from? Ah, I bet from the crazy teal-haired girl you allied with. Looks like she wanted to break your trust on your team." The redhead rubbed her chin, her green eyes having a distant look in them, her lips turning into an enigmatic smile.

"Hmm… Looks like Yuuki will not answer my question with a simple yes or no. I wonder why?" Shizuru glanced sideways, her beautiful face masked with a soft smile and yet behind it, worry and confusion swam in her head.

"Shiz, would you agree with me that the end justifies the means?" Nao returned the brunette's gaze, a smirk now visible on her face as she answered it with another question.

The brunette glanced back at the window view, thinking over what to say, wondering why the redhead was suddenly getting mysterious and strange. Her thoughts kept on lingering about yesterday when she saw Nao riding on the motorbike driven by none other than the blue-haired woman, Natsuki Kuga.

She knew both of them must be friends from before, and yet, she could not ignore the nagging feeling that the redhead was not being entirely truthful about her intentions and that was somehow linked to the blue-haired woman. Nao had been her childhood friend, or so they said, as her memory was a clean slate, blank and vacant, since the accident occurred.

Everything that happened before then was gone, as if deleted from her memory. They consulted doctors and specialists, all coming to a conclusion of having traumatic brain injury, resulting to retrograde amnesia where the brain unconsciously repressed and shut down those events leading to the traumatic injury.

In order to further avoid any brain damages, they advised not to overload and bombard the brain about the past and let it recover on its own pace, lest they risked a permanent brain injury. Unfortunately, recovery period was boundless, it could occur quickly or could even span for few years.

When the brunette did not respond, as if lost in her own thoughts, Nao suddenly became concerned and tapped her on the shoulder, grinning with her perfect white teeth. "It's all right. You don't have to answer me." Shizuru glanced up at her, partly relieved to see the gleam of mischief in those green eyes.

"You should get going Kaichou, headmaster must be waiting for you." Nao leaned on the windowsill as she crossed her arms, her back facing the window.

"I trust you, Yuuki." She whispered softly as she slowly turned on her heels, walking towards the door, placing the cup on the table on her way out.

As the door clicked shut, Nao heaved a deep sigh, shaking her head slowly. _Trust me, eh?,_ she muttered to herself. _Be careful who you trust, Shiz. Not everyone is who they seemed to be._

-x-

In each school, the Presidents were all waiting outside their headmasters' offices, currently surrounded by women in black having the emblem of Fuuka, a shining red star, marked on their armbands. They were the Board's eyes and ears, stationed everywhere, monitoring the progress of the competition, reporting any happenings and overall, ensuring the safety of everyone.

Five minutes before the contest, the doors to the headmaster's offices were being unlocked however securely blocked by those Board's watchdogs, Shizuru could only smile at the tight security and seriousness of the situation. While she was somehow anxious about the letter, she was determined to enjoy and make the most of this event.

Right on time, the doors were being opened in all schools, the watchdogs making way for the representatives to go through. The brunette was trudging her way towards the headmaster's office when a loud explosion blasted from inside, the impact sending the brunette and some watchdogs flying backwards.

Shizuru could have sworn she saw a shade of blue blur of movement, behind Mashiro Windbloom, Rojoh's headmaster, before the deafening detonation occurred. She was coughing blood and dust staining her white shirt, as she tried to stand up, her blistered hands using the cracked wall for support. Her crimson eyes stung with the powdery dirt scattered everywhere when the once pristine white wall turned into crumbs of granular sand and gravel.

Horror struck her as she glanced over the headmaster's office – Mashiro was in a pool of blood, lying unconscious, her legs trapped under the pile of fallen wood chunks, which used to be the ceiling. Another woman in black, not too far away from the headmaster, was also lying face down. She inhaled deeply and tried to calm her panicking heart, looking around, assessing her situation.

She walked slowly and instantly regretted as she wobbled in pain, only realizing that her right leg had been punctured by a large piece of wood, smearing her jeans. She sat down, her back against the wall, inspecting her body for any other injury. She felt a blob of thick, red liquid slowly flowing on the side of her head and wiped it with her arm, wincing slightly in pain. She thought it must have been the impact from the blast, hitting the side of her head on the wall. Aside from these, there were only minor cuts from all over her body.

Around her, the watchdogs, those who were not badly injured which were only a few, were rushing towards the unconscious headmaster and their other colleagues. A few rushed to her side however, she brushed off any help, asking them to quickly attend to the principal's aid.

She wrapped both her shaking hands around the injuring wood, took a deep breath and pulled quickly, making her gasp in pain as blood trickled down her leg. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she felt the sting on her leg wound increasing tenfold. She knew she had to hurry and make the blood flow stop, but the discomfort was overwhelming, making her disoriented and she felt as if the world was slowly spinning.

"Shiz! What happened?" The brunette opened one eye and saw the rushing redhead, her small face bathed with fear and worry. Nao was quick to her side and stole the medical kit from one of the watchdogs.

"Stay with me, Shiz." Nao muttered as her hands worked briskly, cutting a chunk of the shredded jeans, cleaning the wound with water and wrapping a bandage around the leg wound. She did the same for the head injury, adding gauze pad to stop the bleeding, securing it in place with skin tape.

"Thanks Yuuki." Nao offered a tight small smile, as she hovered her emerald eyes around, assessing the intensity of the damage, then glanced back at the brunette. "How are you feeling?" The redhead roamed her eyes over her friend, her mind suddenly filled with rage. _This has become a bloody combat,_ she thought darkly.

"Better. Much better, at least, I don't see two Yuuki's anymore." The brunette forced a laugh, trying to relieve her friend of worry, and yet failed miserably as the redhead stared at her profoundly.

"This freaking competition has to stop. Someone had just harmed you. This is a complete violation of the rules." She stood up and grabbed one of the watchdogs by the collar, angrily commanding her to direct the call to the Board of Chairmen, almost punching the scared woman for her initial denial. _Call or Die?_ , Shizuru heard the redhead making threats, clearly annoyed and distressed about the turn of events.

The brunette then glanced over at her headmaster's direction where the wreckage was most visible and with great effort, she limped her way inside what once used to be the principal's office. As she neared the group of watchdogs attending to the principal, she was dreading every step she made, her heartbeat loud in her ears.

To her relief, they announced a very faint pulse and hurried to transport the principal to the nearest hospital. As they moved her to the stretcher, the brunette noticed something shiny dropped from the principal's hand. She dragged her injured leg moving further to her right, wincing in pain every so often, and searched the dusty floor filled with rubbles for the shiny object. _The gem._

She picked the gem partially covered in dirt and dusted it off against her jeans. Upon further scrutiny, it was a garnet stone, which she remembered to be worth only one point. _Just my luck,_ she silently cursed as she wrapped the gem in her palm.

Looking around the huge mess, her face suddenly darkened as she remembered the threat letter, the note now screaming inside her head, the threat turning into a nightmarish reality. _Revenge is a dish best served cold. Be gone, Shizuru Fujino._

Mixed emotions displayed on her gloomy face – fury, vengeance and guilt. She was utterly in rage, despising how cruel and hideous the attack had been and she felt that she was the main target, unfortunately, involving innocent ones. She clenched and unclenched her fists, her crimson eyes shutting close as she took deep breaths – _I need to control myself. I need to think properly,_ she commanded herself, repeating the mantra until her raging emotions subsided.

As she flicked open her dark red orbs, her features were partly covered in shadow, her lips pursed in a thin line, exuding a frightening aura. She knew what must be done, that there was only one option to choose, an invitation she could not refuse.

Heading towards the redhead who was busy talking, or rather screaming on the phone, she gently tapped her shoulder from behind, catching her attention. The redhead suddenly turned around, her glare intensifying in a flash only to soften when she saw the brunette, pointing towards the phone she was holding, asking to speak through it.

Nao willingly handed over the phone, satisfied that with the brunette on the line, they would believe her story and hold off the competition. However, eyes wide in shock, she felt her ears betray her as she heard Shizuru confirming for the competition to push through. Instinctively, she tried to grab the phone, however, the brunette had quickly ended the call, much to her frustration.

"Are you out of your mind!? You almost die, Shizuru!" Nao roughly grabbed the brunette's arm as she whirled her around, her voice loud and accusing, causing everyone to glance at them curiously. However, the redhead abruptly stopped, her hand dropping to her side, the anger in her emerald eyes quickly diffusing, as she stared at her friend openmouthed, a flash of hurt and guilt were painted on her weary face, her crimson eyes, dangerously on the brink of tears.

"Tell me, what should I do?" The redhead bit her lip as she averted her eyes, suddenly turning speechless. "People get hurt… because of me." The brunette continued softly, her voice a whisper, as she blinked back tears, recollecting herself again.

"Someone is seeking revenge on me. And I'm not going to give that culprit the satisfaction to see me as some pathetic and defenseless wimp." She slowly spun on her heels when a hand, now gentle and warm, stopped her and she glanced back, her crimson eyes directly staring into emerald ones.

"Let me help." Nao's lips curled into a small smile.

-x-

News about the violent intrusion in Rojoh University spread like wildfire. Various reports and claims had been made, some talking about few casualties, others exaggerating the story, having the whole campus was on fire. Nonetheless, one thing was certain – the competition was not called off.

In Zaffiro University, Natsuki had just left the headmaster's office when she immediately stopped in her tracks hearing the news of explosion from her spy. She fell on her knees, dropping the phone on the cement floor with a loud thud. Her lungs suddenly felt constricted, she found it hard to breathe while hot tears started to well in those emerald eyes. Her heart felt so heavy and painful, as if someone shot her, digging a burning hole inside.

 _Am I late?_ , she thought miserably, feeling lost and broken in her own thoughts when a voice from the phone crackled to life.

"Leader? Leader? Are you there?" the voice sounded urgent. "Affirmative – she's alive, though she looks hurt, do you copy?" The spy stationed in Rojoh whispered hoarsely.

The blue-haired woman blinked her eyes several times as the report slowly registered in her mind, her trembling hand picking up the phone, bringing it closer to her ears, recomposing herself before speaking. However, the next thing she heard was a blood-curdling shriek making the hairs at back of her neck rose, her adrenaline rushing.

"Irina, copy. Report, over." Natsuki's husky voice was filled with worry as she waited for a response and yet, the connection had become intermittent, the radio phone creating drastic static noise, the voice on the other line was broken and inaudible. She could only pick a few words from the message. _Ambush. She's here – To._ Then, the signal was completely lost, only the loud mocking sound of the radio static could be heard.

' _Tomoe! That little rat, I warned her not to trust that deranged woman.'_ She mentally winced, anger suddenly boiling in her blood, her hand balling into a fist, as she turned off the radio phone and pocketed it.

If only she could fly towards the brunette, she would do it in a flash, only she knew better than to let her emotions take control of her. For now, she just had to suck it up and hope that the brunette would be fine. She also took comfort on the fact that there was no distress call _yet_ from her main spy, which meant things were still under control. _Protect her, Nao._

However, there was a nagging feeling at the back of her mind that bothered her right after picking up the call and yet she could not put her finger on why she felt something was amiss. As she checked her watch, noting she was running late for the meet up with Mai and Mikoto, she quickly dismissed the idea, thinking that she must be getting overly worried and paranoid. She shoved her hands on her jeans pocket, her palm enveloping her own gem, emerald which was worth four points, before she jogged her way outside the campus using hidden passageways.

-x-

There was a nonstop vibration of her phone, the caller clearly being persistent to be answered, yet she only smirked and was determined to prolong not to pick it up. However, she was getting increasingly annoyed and so she turned around the corner, entered an empty room and controlled her flaring emotions before pressing 'accept'.

"What the crap are you doing, you bastard! That's not part of the plan!" A voice filled with rage erupted that she had to remove the phone away from her ears, flinching in the process. Only when she was sure that the tantrums from the other line had died down did she bring up the phone closer to her ears and speak in her gentlest voice.

"I'm sorry I took you by surprise, I thought you've been informed of the change in plans." Her lips curled into a crooked smile, her amethyst eyes having a menacing look. "But I thought you'd be happy, I took revenge against that headmaster on your behalf. I know you don't like her." She spoke somberly, her voice sounding weak and terrified. However, the sneer spreading on her face said otherwise.

"But that was so stupid and reckless! That was even against the rules. And… and.." the caller's voice suddenly faltered, turning speechless.

"Actually, that Shizuru was just so lucky. If only I got the timing perfect, it's like hitting two birds with one sto~"

"Shut up!" The caller butted, suddenly turning agitated.

"I-I'm sorry… I thought you wanted revenge against her… After everything that you have suffered because of her, she deserve th~"

"I said shut up. You got nothing against her. Don't touch her. I am the one seeking revenge, so let me be the one to do it, I've waited so long for this. I've waited so long…and yet, it still hurts." The caller had turned emotional, the voice sounding guttural.

"I'm really sorry, my dear. You know I'll do anything for you. I love you." She spoke tenderly after which the caller dropped the line, and she removed the phone from her reddening ears, flicking her teal hair in the process. _Yes, revenge is the sweetest of all._

-x-

There was a hurried shuffling of feet then a movement behind the bush on the side of an abandoned building causing two heads to glance over that direction. Their senses heightened to a maximum, their hands and feet turning into a fighting stance as they backed away from the scuffling noise.

The two were about to deliver a combo attack when the blue-haired woman suddenly popped into view, her hands on her knees, catching her breath.

"Natsuki! Where have you been? We've been waiting for ages. Did anything happen?" Mai exclaimed, dropping her hands to the side and walking closer to her friend, her hand resting on Natsuki's shoulder. The black-haired woman also edged closer to them, though still cautious, darting her eyes left and right, in case the blue-haired woman had been followed.

"Surprisingly, I encountered… no one on my way… here." She spoke in between breaths, standing straight and meeting their worried eyes. Then, her expression turned deadly serious as she heaved a deep sigh. "Anyway, sorry I'm late, I was trying to get more updates from my spies after the explosion occurred. However, they got ambushed."

"What?" Mai and Mikoto uttered in unison. However, all their attentions shifted to the beeping noise from Mai's phone and the orange-haired girl quickly picked it up. As their conversation continued, Mai's eyes turned as wide as saucers, her hand flying to her mouth in shock, the other two briefly glanced at each other despondently. _Bad news._

When the orange-haired girl dropped the call, her face turned sullen, the shadow of the building covering her face almost gave her an eerie appearance. "Apparently, there has been more explosions happening in Rojoh."

Natsuki silently cursed, her heart hammering inside her chest, her mind instantly brimming with negative thoughts, she didn't realize her body was trembling. Only when Mai held her arms did she stop shaking, her troubled emerald eyes staring into deep purple eyes. "She'll be fine." Mai reassured her, her smile radiating with hope.

"But don't you two find it weird?" Mikoto spoke innocently, her hands scratching the back of her head, causing the two to glance her way. "Why don't they stop this mess? Clearly, this is against the rules."

"Right… unless…" Natsuki's eyes widened in fear as realization hit her. "Unless this competition is rigged."

"But why? Who would benefit from doing that?" The orange-haired girl asked, confusion masked in her face.

"To be honest, I don't know… I just got a really bad feeling about all this." Natsuki sighed, her hand unconsciously rubbing her temples.

"So, what's the plan? Do we still go after the brunette and kick her out?" Mikoto inquired matter-of-factly.

"I want her out of this terrible game, yes. However, her safety is paramount." The blue-haired woman answered, her gaze turning to each one of them.

"Got it." Mai responded.

"Roger!" Mikoto exclaimed.

After their conversation, the three split out moving in different directions, all heading to Rojoh University, to avoid gaining attention from other schools' spies. Natsuki had mentioned about the little secret garden located at the farthest end of the campus where they would regroup in about an hour. Mai reminded them to give a beep if anyone needed any rescuing.

-x-

"Miya, this is just so wonderful! The chess pieces are now all moving." The brown-haired girl cringed as she listened, her shoulders turned rigid, she glanced sidelong to her companion. She could only nod her head slightly, her eyes suddenly trained on the floor.

"Now that the white queen is in danger, this will lure all the chessmen in this place. Rojoh University will soon be turned into a massive chess board. This will be a masterpiece!" Her companion continued talking, dazed and amazed by her own plans, the brown-haired girl could only look despicably in the corner of her eye.

She bit her lower lip from trembling, wanting desperately to voice out her plea. She did not want any of these. She wanted no involvement in any of this madness. And yet, she could not find the strength to go against this brutal woman. She was a puppet, strings attached to her, making her move against her will.

Her companion looked at her curiously. "Do you know how to win in a chess match?" Her smile turned devious, her teeth seemed longer and pointed in her mouth.

Miya stole a quick glimpse at her companion before speaking. "A checkmate." Her voice was almost a hoarse whisper.

"Correct. When the King has no escape and he cannot make a move, that's automatically checkmate. But that's not the only way. You can also force them to resign, take away all its important pieces, leaving them no option but to surrender." She continued explaining, clearly enjoying her monologue.

"Those are the two common ways to win. Which do you think will I use in this competition?" Her companion eyed the brown-haired girl again, patiently waiting for a response.

"Uhm… the second one? Take away the officials, leave the King defenseless?" Miya offered, trying to make it sound as if she was interested in the conversation when in fact, she felt sick at the pit of her stomach.

"Ah good point. But wrong. There's one last option to win the game. And that's through the use of the power of time. And that's where things get even more interesting." Her creepy smile was enough to make the brown-haired girl shiver unconsciously, the hairs at the back of her neck rose uncomfortably, giving her goose bumps.

"Miya, you are my dark knight. You will lead them. This will be our victory." She spoke so proudly and confidently as she cupped her companion's face with her hands.

"Yes, as you wish, my dark queen." The brown-haired girl responded, her voice emotionless.

-x-

Natsuki was silently trudging her way, her mind occupied with the turn of events, she did not realize someone was following her from the shadow. While she was moving soundlessly, eyes darting left and right for any sign of movement, her perturbed mind still gave her a disadvantage. She could not stop worrying about the brunette, her dream or rather a nightmare, all the more boggling her mind.

She knew it would take twenty minutes by foot to reach Rojoh if she used the main street, however, with the scattered spies and attackers everywhere, she would not risk being caught. So she was forced to use the narrow side streets which were rarely being used and she estimated it would probably take her additional ten minutes. Her decoys, dressed to mimic her appearance with midnight blue hair, were also on their way to give her the diversion she needed to infiltrate the school.

As she was closing in, roughly a hundred meters away from the side of the campus, she was already hearing loud commotions, she assumed the invaders and defenders were already warring against each other. In the distance, she could see other students from different schools, lying unconscious, as they were hit by flying tranquilizers. Paintballs were also splattered everywhere while her nose scrunched up, smelling a reeky odor. Natsuki crouched further down, hiding in the bushes, knowing that there must be snipers nearby, hitting tons of students already.

Another wave of invading students flocked near the campus, however, they were being downed in a matter of minutes. Natsuki who was watching cautiously tried to follow the trajectory hits until she spotted two snipers plopped on a huge branch of a tree, their suits amazingly camouflaged with leaves. She silently moved closer, her hands pulling two small dart guns filled with sedatives from her belt.

She aimed her right gun on one sniper and carefully pulled the trigger. Instantly, the sniper dropped its huge gun as its body slumped on the branch. She smirked at herself and then aimed her left gun on the other one, her hand concentrating.

She confidently pulled the trigger, seeing the sniper in shock then went down. However, the next thing she knew was the excruciating pain at the back of her head then suddenly everything started to blur, she lay sprawled on her back. She felt someone going through her body, searching for something.

She was groaning in pain and tried to move but her body would not budge, she could only slowly glance at the intruder. However, she could only see a vague figure of someone holding her emerald gem, its laugh taunting. _Goodbye to you, white king,_ the figure spoke in between sneers. Her face contorted with anguish and before everything blacked out, her mind was screaming one name. _Shi. Zu. Ru._

-x-

Shizuru was slowly walking, half dragging her injured leg while she was surrounded by other students, armed with guns, all serving as her bodyguards with the redhead's persistent request. She asked Nao to regroup with Haruka and investigate the other explosion in the campus however, the redhead would only agree to leave her with defenders around her in her absence.

After a while, the brunette seemed to get used to the throbbing pain on her leg as she was regaining her strength. Nonetheless, the brunette felt as if she was walking baby steps and the trip to the Student Council's room seemed like forever.

Despite her calm demeanor on the outside, her brain was working overtime, trying to connect the dots and thinking of the possible culprits for the explosion, the origins of the threats. Her mind was recalling the scene for anything that would give her a clue. She was almost certain she saw a blue blur, dark as the ocean, and she was reminded of someone. _Natsuki._

 _Could it be possible, this was her plan all along? Did she set up everything? Was the threat letter originally from her? Did she cause the explosion? Was Natsuki the one seeking revenge… on me? Who are you really, Natsuki Kuga?_ Questions plagued her mind doubting the blue-haired woman's intentions. As much as she tried to eradicate the silly idea, remembering the sincerity in those emerald eyes, it just fitted the picture perfectly.

She tried to analyze things deeper, separating the facts from her assumptions. _It was a fact that Natsuki brought about the threat letter. She wanted me to drop the game. When I don't, she said she'd kick me out. Then, there's the explosion and I'm almost certain I saw a dark blue hair. Was it possible that I dropping the game was her initial plan of revenge? And since I disagree, she was forced to resort to violence just to scratch me off the game?_

Questions after questions still whirled inside her head, she felt lost in her own thoughts, causing her side head injury to throb slightly. Only when one of the bodyguards informed her that they were nearing Student's Council room did she shake her mind off her predicaments and focus on the present.

Her bodyguards stayed put a few feet away from outside the room, giving space for the brunette to enter. Shizuru was about to open the room when someone from inside beat her to it. In a flash, the intruder enveloped her in an embrace, surprising the brunette.

"Oh Shizuru!" The intruder almost sounded on the verge of tears. "Glad you are safe! I'm so worried about you!" The voice croaked.

"Tomoe…"

-x-


End file.
